Finally a little relief.The first instance of relief was on Sunday. On Saturday, I dealt with 20 hours of diarrhea because I was attempting to use just enough Imodium A-D without locking myself up for days on end. Well, you can see that my newly attempted Imodium regimen clearly did not work. So, on Sunday when it all started again, my response was very simple. I immediately took two Imodium A-D and my problem was solved. That made Sunday slightly more tolerable.
What really brought me joy and much relief was my visit with the Radiation Nurse Practitioner. As soon as she saw the insides of my thighs, she assured me she had something for it...and boy did she ever! She applied directly to the raw skin an adhesive material called Mepilex Lite. It's a dressing, like a bandage, but it's made of a foam-type material and has it's own adhesive. It gave me instant relief because there was no longer any contact and thus friction between the raw skin on my thighs and genitals.
Then she informed me that I can use Aquaphor on my radiation-burned genitals. The two combined brought my pain down to a two from a seven. Talk about some relief. I think I'm going to make it through this alive after all!!!
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Bert,
ReplyDeleteAquafor works for a lot of skin problems, and they gave me samples of it when I was getting radiation for breast cancer (my first occurrence) five years ago. But they also gave me samples of an ointment, whose name I cannot remember, which I started using at the very beginning of treatment, because I am fair-skinned and more likely to burn. That ointment kept me from ever developing a sunburn-like discoloration of my skin, although it did not protect me from blistering at the very end of treatment, when they focused the radiation beam directly at the tumor site as opposed to the entire breast.
The tumor site was in my armpit, and it became an open, weeping sore during that last week of treatment, right in the crease where my breast met my armpit, so I know a little bit of what you are going through right now.
Anyway, I wish I could remember the name of the ointment, because it was really helpful. But maybe you can ask about it. I don't know if it's too late for that or not, but it might be worth checking out.
Take care, and hang in there, Bert!
Maria Brown
God is with you in all this, keep faith.
ReplyDeleteThank heavens!
ReplyDeleteWell Bert,
ReplyDeleteToday is May 13th and you say your last radiation treatment is May 15th. So...two more to go! Almost there. See what I mean about just hangin in while you go through the tunnel? Before too long the chemo will be behind you too.
L
Rain
I am happy to hear that you are finding some relief after the pain and itching... I have been lucky about pain, but man do I know itching!
ReplyDeleteI also know something about strange genital happenings during and after treatment. Isn't it strange how difficult it is to write about that? It is as if we are being indecent by writing the truth of our experiences... how absurd. Please continue to write your truths.
Reading about the difficulties with your GI tract makes me extra thankful that my digestive system behaved well the last few weeks allowing me to eat like a horse. Coffee enemas twice a day help me too.
Best wishes in your recovery from the radiation.